George Kenneth "Ken" Bell (July 30, 1914 – June 26, 2000) was a Canadian photographer who served with the Canadian armed forces during the Second World War. As a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the

Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit The Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit (CFPU) was a Canadian Army unit founded in 1941 in order to document military operations during World War II. It was the last unit of its kind to be founded by the Allied armies. Among the campaigns which it ...

, he participated in the

Normandy Landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

, disembarking at

Juno Beach Juno and or Juno Beach was one of five beaches of the Allies (World War II), Allied invasion of German occupation of France during World War II, German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 during the World War II, Second Wo ...

on June 6, 1944, with the Highland Light Infantry of Canada. Later he went on to photograph and record the liberation of France, Belgium and the Netherlands, and finally documented the occupation of Germany. After the war he had a successful career as a professional photographer, and published a number of books including ''Not in Vain'', a collection of photographs showing the changes which had taken place in Europe since the end of the war.

Early life

George Kenneth Bell was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, on July 30, 1914. He was the second son and the fourth of six children born to carpenter Charles Bell (1881–c. 1958) and Edith Bell, immigrants from

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, England. Charles Bell emigrated to Canada in 1906. The family lived at 1211 Dufferin St, Toronto.

World War II

When Canada joined the war against Nazi Germany in 1939, Bell was posted to

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

as a public relations photographer. Later, he joined the

, with the rank of lieutenant. Along with a number of other photographers, Bell would go on to document Canada's participation in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The Canadian Army played a major role in the 1944 Normandy landings, landing at Juno beach, somewhat to the south of the previous raid at

Dieppe Dieppe (; ; or Old Norse ) is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department, Normandy, northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newhaven in England ...

in 1942. Like his better known American contemporary

Robert Capa Robert Capa (; born Endre Ernő Friedmann, ; October 22, 1913 – May 25, 1954) was a Hungarian-American war photographer and photojournalist. He is considered by some to be the greatest combat and adventure photographer in history.Kershaw, Al ...

, Bell took part in the first day of the D-Day operation, disembarking at

on June 6, 1944, with

The Highland Light Infantry of Canada The Highland Light Infantry of Canada was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. In 1965, the regiment was amalgamated with The Scots Fusiliers of Canada to form The Highland Fusiliers of Canada (now The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada). ...

(now known as the

Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada is a Primary Reserve light infantry regiment of the Canadian Army, with companies in Cambridge, Ontario, Cambridge and Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener, and is an infantry sub-unit of 31 Canadian Brigade Group, ...

), part of the 9th brigade. The 9th brigade was not in the first assault wave, but landed later in the morning and advanced through the lead brigades, which had taken heavy casualties. Many of Bell's photographs were taken in colour - a first for the Canadian Army - though these did not become public until around twenty years later. They are the only surviving colour photographs of the Normandy Landings. Members of the CFPU were often in the front line, and sometimes even ahead of it. During the liberation of Dieppe in 1944, as the Manitoba Dragoons awaited orders to advance, members of the CFPU including Ken Bell and Brian O'Regan were the first Allied servicemen to enter the town. Bell's war photographs – taken with a

Rolleiflex Rolleiflex is a long-running and diverse line of high-end cameras originally made by the German company Franke & Heidecke, and later Rollei-Werke. History The "Rolleiflex" name is most commonly used to refer to Rollei's premier line of med ...

camera – are housed by the

Library and Archives of Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the Government of Canada, federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and national library, library is the ...

, Ontario. Many of the original negatives of his photographs are held by the Canadian Forces Photo Unit and the

City of Toronto Archives The City of Toronto Archives is the municipal archives for the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It holds records created by the Municipal government of Toronto, municipal government and its Amalgamation of Toronto, amalgamated former municipalit ...

. Ken Bell's brother William Ernest Bell also served in the war; he volunteered for the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

in 1941 and served in 440 Squadron flying

Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was intended to be a medium-high altitude interceptor aircraft, interceptor, as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, but several design problems we ...

s in the last months of the war.

Post-war career

After the war Bell had a successful career as a professional

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who uses a camera to make photographs. Duties and types of photograp ...

, publishing a number of collections of photographs taken during and after the war. He also continued with an active role in the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

as an Officer Commanding of the

Royal Regiment of Canada The Royal Regiment of Canada is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. The regiment is based in Toronto, Ontario, and forms part of the 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. The ceremonial dress uniform of the ...

and then as the regiment's Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1953 he published ''Curtain Call'', a collection of photographs in which he "tried to show the changes brought by man and nature in the 5 years since VE day". This was followed in 1973 by ''Not in Vain'', published by the

University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university calendar. Its first s ...

, a collection of photographs taken partly during the war, and partly 25 years later when he returned to the same locations in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. During the 1970s he worked as a freelance photographer, specialising in fashion, food and work in the advertising industry. He also had a long professional association with the

National Ballet of Canada The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca, the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...

.''Art et Architecture au Canada : Bibliographie et Guide'', by Loren Ruth Lerner, Mary F. Williamson
Retrieved September 2011 In 1990, he collaborated with Desmond Morton to publish a book detailing the history of the

Royal Canadian Military Institute The Royal Canadian Military Institute (RCMI) is a private members' organization with a focus on military history, defence studies and international affairs. Located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, it was founded as the Canadian Military Institut ...

on the occasion of the Institute's 100th Anniversary.

Family life

Colonel Bell was twice married. His first was to Marion "Molly" Alice Bell, with whom he adopted two daughters, Sue and Karen. After Molly's death he married Mary Lea Kenly of Toronto. His nephew Richard Williams was an

animator An animator is an artist who creates images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games. Animat ...

. He died on June 26, 2000, in

Gibsons, British Columbia Gibsons is a coastal community of 4,758 in southwestern British Columbia, Canada on the Sunshine Coast, where the southwest bank of Howe Sound meets the Strait of Georgia. During its early history as a European-descended settlement, the town ...

, Canada.

Awards

He was twice awarded the Photographer of the Year award by the society of Professional Photographers of Canada, in 1965 and 1966. In 1986 he received the Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award.

Published works

*''Curtain Call'', Intaglio Gravure Limited 1953 *''Not in Vain'', University of Toronto Press, 1973, ASIN: B001PQT32Y *''100 years: The Royal Canadian Regiment, 1883-1983'', Collier Macmillan Canada, 1983 ASIN: B000KFWQ16 *''The Way We Were'', University of Toronto Press, 1988 Bell, Ken, ''The Way We Were'', University of Toronto Press, 1988
Retrieved September 2011 *''Royal Canadian Military Institute: 100 Years 1890-1990, Morton and Bell, 1990.

Gallery

File:Sergeant H.A. Marshall of the Sniper Section, The Calgary Highlanders.jpg, Sgt H A Marshall of the Sniper Section,

Calgary Highlanders The Calgary Highlanders (10th Canadians) is a Canadian Army Primary Reserve infantry regiment, headquartered at Mewata Armouries in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The regiment is a part-time reserve unit, under the command of 41 Canadian Brigade Grou ...

. File:Panzerschreck a169257-v6.jpg, Panzerschreck File:Royal Winnipeg Rifles - Spring.jpg, Royal Winnipeg Rifles File:Crowded beach at Courseulles-sur-Mer.jpg, Crowded beach at Courseulles-sur-Mer File:Canadian infantry reinforcements arrive at Courseulles-sur-Mer.jpg, Canadian infantry reinforcements arrive at Courseulles-sur-Mer. File:Infantrymen of The Regina Rifle Regiment outside a damaged building, Caen, France, 10 July 1944.jpg, A Canadian soldier fires on the enemy in a house in Caen, July 10, 1944. File:9th Canadian infantery brigade in Carpiquet.jpg, Unidentified Canadian Infantry in a Bombed Out Church in Carpiquet, near Caen, July 12, 1944 File:Scout of the Calgary Highlanders advancing north of Kappellen, October 1944.jpg, Highlanders File:Private G.R. MacDonald of The Toronto Scottish Regiment (M.G.) giving first aid to an injured French boy, Brionne, France, 25 August 1944, a135956-v6.jpg, Canadian Private MacDonald gives first aid to a child File:1st Canadian generals.jpg, 1st Canadian generals File:Wayne and Shuster.jpg, Wayne and Shuster File:Canadian Soldiers Juno Beach Town.jpg, Canadian Soldiers Juno Beach

References

*Bell, Ken ''Not in Vain'', University of Toronto Press, 1973
Chartrand, Rene, & Volstad, Ronald, p.21, ''Canadian Forces in World War II''
Retrieved September 2011
Ford, Ken, and Peter Dennis, ''Caen 1944: Montgomery's Break-out Attempt''
Retrieved September 2011
Ford, Ken, p.28, ''Falaise 1944: Death of an Army''
Retrieved September 2011 *Hunter, Martin ''Young Hunting - a memoir'' ECW Press, Toronto, Ontario, 2008 *O'Regan, Bryan, ''Camera Commandos and Reminiscences of D-Day Normandy'', E Book, 2007, *O'Regan, Bryan, ''Shooters'', documentary film about the CFPU. * UK census records, 1911.
Zuehlke, Mark, p.182, ''Breakout from Juno: First Canadian Army and the Normandy Campaign''
Retrieved September 2011

Notes

External links

''Not in Vain''
at Amazon.com
"Ken Bell"
at ''Encyclopædia Britannica''
Ken Bell fonds (R5529)
at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

List of former recipients of the Professional Photographers of Canada Photographer of the Year award

Retrieved 12 April 2022 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Ken War photographers 20th-century Canadian war artists 1914 births 2000 deaths Canadian photojournalists Photographers from Toronto Canadian Army officers Canadian Army personnel of World War II Canadian military personnel from Ontario